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Of course Kirk Douglas did quite a few more films after this but he didn't do em with this kind of fun in mind.

Two former train robbers get parole after 30 years. Now they have to decide what to do when they get out. They're 65 and 72 years old and don't have a lot of skills. On top of that they don't fit in the 80's way of life. Their parole officer tells them they cant see each other for 3 years as per condition of their parole. They both have a heckuva time adjusting to this new existence and finally decide to go back to their old way of life.

This is one of those 80's gems that I never forgot. Two great actors in their last good film doing what they do best... Acting tough and being guys....Tough Guys. Burt Lancaster is the straight man and Kirk Douglas has all the good lines. Keep a watch out for Eli Wallach...he steals almost the entire film with the small role he has. Yes you will see a very young Dana Carvey pre SNL.

Grab this 80's flick and have a laugh cause I'll bet it won't be too hard to do.

Tough Guys (1986)

*** (out of 4)

Lifelong friends Harry Doyle (Burt Lancaster) and Archie Long (Kirk Douglas) are being released from prison after thirty-years. They were in there for the last train robbery in American history but once on the outside they find that times have changed. They find it hard fitting in with the current world so that's when Archie gets the idea of robbing the train one last time.

If you're looking for a hard-hitting drama or some sort of nasty comedy then TOUGH GUYS certainly won't be for you. I'm really not sure why this film has gotten so many negative reviews. Look, I'll admit that this isn't a masterpiece or a classic but at the same time it's great getting to see Lancaster and Douglas working together. It's not like they were given countless great roles later in their careers so getting to see them having some fun together makes this movie worth watching.

As far as the comedy goes, I thought a lot of it was rather funny. Yes, the story is pretty simple and the basic gag is having these two old men walking around and having to deal with "young" people. A lot of these situations are quite funny thanks to the two actors being good sports about it. There's the scene where Douglas enters a gay bar not knowing it. There are a couple other scenes where Douglas has to battle people at his pathetic jobs. With Lancaster, he plays it more straight and this includes a relationship with an old fling (Alexis Smith) of his.

The reason to watch this movie is for the actors. Lancaster and Douglas have a wonderful chemistry together and they have no problem fitting these roles. The two of them play well off of each other and they certainly add a lot of charm to the film. Charles Durning is the cop who originally brought him down and he too has some nice scenes with the boys. Dana Carvey is fun in his supporting role as is Smith. Eli Wallach plays a nutbag trying to kill the boys and he too adds a lot of fun.

TOUGH GUYS isn't a masterpiece and there's no question that it overstays its welcome with the extended running time. With that said, if you're a fan of the veteran cast then you'll certainly get a kick out of the film.

Tough Guys re-unites after a near 30 year gap the screen pairing of Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster and as such it's a wonderful piece of nostalgia. The premise suits the stars very well Archie Long and Harry Doyle after 30 years in prison for a train robbery are released into society and find things aren't want the used to be back in the old neighbourhood. The duo are soon mixed up with a short sighted hit-man (a scene stealing Eli Wallach), a hero worshipping parole officer (Dana Cavey), an old time cop convinced they'll rob again (Charles Durning) and some seriously 80's style thugs. Add to this just dealing with Archies day job and Harry's new life in a retirement home and their is a recipe for comedy and some surprisingly touching moments as the pair come to terms with old age.

The film is fun and well paced although there are some big plot holes and inconsistencies you can overlook these as its not a serious film. Douglas and Lancaster are clearly having a blast making the movie and seeing them on screen again one last time is great. I'd recommend this film for a feel good comedy or a bit of nostalgia for older movie fans. 7/10

Watched it again on late night TV. Still funny after all these years. You could still see the occasional flashes of the old Kirk D, chilling look etc and Burt still has the movement of an athlete even at age 73, and his trade mark mirthless laugh but it was Eli Wallach who stole the film, absolutely brilliant. I think his character was stolen by the writers of a BBC TV comedy called "Last of the Summer Wine" which has a very short sighted character called Eli. So many scenes were so good that it makes it difficult to pick the best but I think the scene outside the old folks home is excellent when Leon B. Little picks himself up using the Zimmer frame, cruel but funny.

The ending was a bit of an anticlimax (same comment applies to "The Blues Brothers".

I wasn't disappointed when in 1986, Burt Lancaster announced on BBC's Wogan show that his new movie was going to star himself and his long time friend and frequent co-star Kirk Douglas. Since their first pairing in the brilliant noir thriller 'I Walk Alone' (1947), Lancaster and Douglas had made several appearances together. Who can forget Lancaster's tough talking Wyatt Earp and Douglas's equally tough yet terminally ill Doc Holliday in 'Gunfight at the OK Corral'?

So now it was the mid 80's, the age of the pepsi generation, I wondered how these two consistent stars would adapt to staring together again for the first time since the 60's. The answer is brilliant.

Harry Doyle (Lancaster), and Archie Long (Douglas) are released from prison after a 30 years sentence after being caught dead bang robbing a train. Eager to make a clean sweep, the two senior citizens, are looking forward to starting their new legitimate lives. However, all is not as they had hoped on the outside, and Harry and Archie have problems coming to terms with the way the world has changed. Director Kanew gives us a new genre here. Instead of the 'fish out of water' scenario, we have the 'two fishes that have been put back in the water after a severely long time' genre. However, Kanew also gives the audience the inevitable Clichés that go with it, and is always ready to fall back on a youth versus experience incident just about everytime the movie gets enjoyable. After being humiliated, patronised, and generally treated like dirt for the better part of a week, The two ageing gangsters decide that a life of crime has to be better then honest work, and predictably they revert to their previous careers as train robbers.

The film is enjoyable there's no escaping it, but there are more holes in the plot than there are in a grannies cardigan, and is also SOoooo predictable in fact the films outcome is more predictable than the outcome of a fight betwix elephant and duck. First of all to get 30 years simply for robbing a train, seems a bit excessive for the viewer to even find it believable. Co-incidentally the day the get out of prison is 1 week before the train they were caught robbing is making it's farewell run.

This aside the film IS enjoyable, and Lancaster and Douglas play their parts wonderfully and you enjoy the film more for their presence. Other cast members also rate highly, Eli Wallach is by far the funniest character, and his wonderful performance in some ways steals the film from it's intended stars. and the devine Alexis Smith makes a small cameo as Lancaster's ex lover. Charles Durning is unfortunately once again typecast as the over-weight lazy flatfoot (ala Dog Day Afternoon/The Sting) and although his performances are always good, you get tired pretty quickly of his tough talking patronising character. and finally there is (Pre Wayne's World) Dana Carvey as the Youthful Idealistic Parole Officer, but it's a shame that Carvey is restricted to playing pretty much a straight character, especially considering he is probably one of the funniest men working in Hollywood today.

Tough Guys should have been better, but I feel Kanew spent most of the budget on getting the perfect Sterling cast, rather than to hire a good script writer. Worth watching for the final appearance on-screen of this top notch duo. Since Lancaster's Death in 1994, I've warmed to this movie more knowing it could never happen again. It's just a shame it wasn't better as it could have been much better.